The Waratahs and Queensland Reds bring a week of trash-talking and insults into their Super 14 grudge match on Friday, one of the highlights of the Australian rugby calendar.
Although the Reds have occupied the Super 14’s bottom three over the last five seasons, they see themselves as more entertaining under coach Phil Mooney than in previous years, and showed they’re not afraid to say so.
Reds flyhalf Quade Cooper kicked off the sledging between the fierce local rivals this week, branding the table-topping Waratahs as ”boring”.
Waratahs winger Lote Tuqiri hit back: ”I know I would rather be entertaining the crowd come Super 14 semifinal time rather than entertaining friends at an end-of-season barbecue.”
The Waratahs, who share top billing with South Africa’s Bulls on 14 points after three rounds, have downed the Reds in their last four encounters and are unbeaten in their last nine home Super 14 games.
The Reds currently lie ninth.
”They can be the entertainers, but they’ve lost two,” Waratahs flyhalf Kurtley Beale said. ”We might play some boring rugby, but it’s good to get the three wins plus two bonus points.”
The Bulls, meanwhile, have Springbok line-out general Victor Matfield among their replacements for Saturday’s home game with the Stormers at Loftus Versfeld.
Matfield has recovered from the shoulder injury sustained in the opening Super 14 match, while Gerhard van den Heever replaces injured Springbok flyer Bryan Habana.
It is the third home game for the Bulls and the last before a demanding five-match sweep through New Zealand and Australia that may decide their fate this season.
The Bulls have scored the most tries with 12 so far and have won their last four outings against the 10th-placed Cape Town outfit.
The Sharks, the third of the unbeaten teams, have spent the week freshening up at Lake Taupo ahead of Saturday’s match against the fifth-placed Blues in Auckland.
Sharks coach John Plumtree is concerned his team are in danger of running out of steam after two demanding victories over the Lions (25-10) and Chiefs (22-15).
”The challenge this week is to overcome a very physically draining fortnight and to front up against a Blues team that we know thrives on the physical stuff,” Plumtree said.
The Sharks, who have conceded just five tries, have won three of their past eight games in Auckland and sense another opportunity against the Blues, who are just back from overseas after three away games.
All Blacks lock Ali Williams appears for the Blues after missing all three of this year’s games with a back problem.
The fourth-placed Force will be looking to back up their impressive win over the ACT Brumbies in Canberra last week against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Friday.
The Chiefs, out to break their duck this season after three bonus-point defeats, have All Black centre Richard Kahui returning from a hip injury.
Defending champions Canterbury Crusaders, who have dropped two of their opening three games, will be without in-form centre Casey Laulala (shoulder) and fullback Leon MacDonald for Saturday’s match with the Highlanders in Dunedin.
The sixth-placed Hurricanes are at home to the Cheetahs on Saturday, while the Brumbies and Lions have the weekend off. — AFP
